Articles (1216)

The story of the former Dorobanți Hotel in Bucharest, from Howard Johnson Grand Plaza to today’s Sheraton Hotel

Today’s Sheraton Bucharest Hotel is one of the best-known five-star hotels in the Romanian capital, but its history began long before the appearance of international brands. On the site of the imposing building on Calea Dorobanților stood, starting in 1974, the Dorobanți Hotel, a representative establishment for Bucharest during the communist perio...

Ioana Radu, the queen of Romanian romances. Ceaușescu’s favorite loved motorcycles and reached the altar five times

The name Ioana Radu is inseparably linked to the Romanian romance, the musical genre that moved entire generations and that, through her voice, gained a depth rarely encountered. For decades, the artist was one of the most respected and beloved singers in Romania, being considered, rightly so, the queen of romances. A legendary artist, with a life...

What You Can Do in Bucharest During the Week of December 15–21

Bucharest in the week before Christmas is a city in a hurry. You feel it on the streets, in traffic, in the way people move in and out of shops. And yet, almost paradoxically, this is also one of the few times of the year when the city offers plenty of reasons to step outside—if you know where to go and when.The city after workFrom Monday to Thursd...

Florian Pittiș, Romania’s rebellious rocker of the communist era. How Moțu managed to start life over, every single time

Florian Pittiș lived his entire life according to the famous aphorism—to the fullest, as if tomorrow did not exist. “As Bob Dylan says, I don’t know how it happens that every day I wake up, it’s still today,” Moțu would remark. With this belief in his soul, he dedicated his 64 years to countless passions: he was an actor, director, translator, rock...

Saint Stephen Pneumoftiziology Hospital in Bucharest, from the “Casa Diaconeselor” Sanatorium to the present. Here the writer Garabet Ibrăileanu was treated

The history of the “Saint Stephen” Pneumoftiziology Hospital in Bucharest is closely linked to the transformations of the Romanian medical system in the 20th century, reflecting both the evolution of respiratory medicine and the social and political changes of the era. Its origins are found in the renowned “Casa Diaconeselor” Sanatorium, a medical...

The drama of Romanian artist Mălina Olinescu. The great light-music singer may have ended her life at only 37 years old

Mălina Olinescu remains, for lovers of Romanian light music, one of the most sensitive and luminous voices of her generation. Born on January 29, 1974, in Bucharest, the artist seemed predestined for a career in the arts, coming from a family for whom the stage was not only a profession but a way of life. Her mother, the well-known light-music sing...

Alexandru Macedonski, the rebellious and eccentric poet of the Romanians. His rivalry with Eminescu ruined his career

Considered to be the most proud and arrogant among the poets of Romanian literature, the life and work of Alexandru Macedonski have always been wrapped in controversies and scandals. Coming from a wealthy family, nicknamed “a spoiled rich boy”, the writer did not shy away from openly showing his obvious contempt for the representatives of Junimea a...

The incredible story of the great director Liviu Ciulei: He was banned by the communists and fled Romania by boat

Liviu Ciulei is one of the major figures of Romanian culture, an artist whose contributions to theatre and film have crossed the country’s borders and have entered permanently into the universal artistic heritage. Born on July 7, 1923, in Bucharest, Ciulei grew up in an environment in which art was seen as a form of deep knowledge and expression. F...

Oedipe, the masterpiece on which the great George Enescu worked for 20 years: “it is the dearest to my soul!”

The opera Oedipe remains to this day the most extensive, most profound, and most personal creation of George Enescu, a monumental work born from an idea that sprouted in his mind since his youth. The year 1906, when the composer was only 25 years old, marks the moment when he began to dream of a grand opera. But the decisive impulse came a few year...

Stroe and Vasilache elevated humor to the rank of art in interwar Bucharest theater. The story of those nicknamed the Stan and Bran of Romania

Although today the names Stroe and Vasilache do not immediately resonate, in the interwar period the two comedians were extremely appreciated both by the public and by critics. Their talent for turning ordinary situations into comic moments was reminiscent of the great masters of world comedy such as Stan and Bran, Buster Keaton, or Charlie Chaplin...